PM Modi paid tribute to Biju Patnaik's role in Indonesia's independence struggle

Report By Y-Trendz

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik's role in Indonesia's independence struggle during an address to the Indonesian Parliament in Jakarta on

Tuesday, calling the veteran pilot's daring wartime rescue mission a moment that "brought the two nations closer."

Speaking as part of his three-day state visit to Indonesia, Modi recalled how Patnaik flew Indonesia's first Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir and Vice President Mohammad Hatta safely to India during the country's fight against Dutch colonial rule. Modi noted that both nations gained independence around the same time — Indonesia in 1945 and India in 1947 — and that India became a strong voice supporting Indonesia's independence movement at the United Nations during that period. He described Patnaik's mission as central to strengthening ties between the two countries at a pivotal historical moment.

In July 1947, Patnaik, accompanied by his wife and co-pilot Gyanwati Patnaik, flew a Douglas C-47 military transport aircraft into Indonesian airspace despite a Dutch blockade. According to accounts of the episode, when Dutch authorities warned the aircraft could be shot down, Patnaik countered that any such attack would invite retaliation against Dutch aircraft over Indian skies. The mission succeeded, and Patnaik flew Sjahrir and Hatta out through Singapore before they reached New Delhi safely on July 24, 1947 — an operation that drew international attention to Indonesia's independence cause and remains one of the most celebrated chapters in India-Indonesia relations. Modi also spoke of the enduring maritime bond between the two nations, framing the sea not as a barrier but as a historic bridge linking their shared future.

The tribute to Patnaik came amid a broader, high-stakes visit that has produced some of the most significant defense and economic agreements between the two countries in years. Modi arrived in Jakarta on Monday to a ceremonial welcome, with his aircraft escorted into Indonesian airspace by Indonesian Air Force F-16 and Sukhoi-30 fighter jets — a rare gesture underscoring how much importance Jakarta places on the relationship. President Prabowo Subianto personally received him at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, and the two leaders later held extensive talks at the Merdeka Palace.

The centerpiece of the visit was a major defense deal allowing Indonesia to acquire India's BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, part of a broader package of roughly 20 memoranda of understanding signed between the two governments. Other agreements covered maritime safety and security cooperation, critical minerals and steel-supply-chain technology, air-to-air missile cooperation, space exploration research, telecommunications technology including wireless and quantum systems, and the establishment of an Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore branch campus at Indonesia's Singhasari Special Economic Zone. Notably, the deals were struck a day after China test-launched a long-range ballistic missile, adding a strategic undertone to the deepening India-Indonesia defense ties.

President Prabowo called Modi's visit a "historic milestone" in bilateral relations, and Modi himself was conferred Indonesia's highest civilian honor during the trip. Speaking at a joint press conference, Modi said he was accepting the honor on behalf of the people of India, describing it as a reflection of the deep, historic bonds between the two democracies. Writing later on social media, Modi called the outcomes of the visit "comprehensive, substantive and futuristic," adding that the friendship between the two nations would "keep scaling new heights" in the years ahead.

Beyond the government-to-government talks, Modi addressed a large gathering of the Indian diaspora in Jakarta, where he spoke about India's expanding role in the global economy. His itinerary also included a visit to Yogyakarta and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Prambanan Temple complex, where he was expected to announce the start of an India-supported restoration project — an initiative agreed upon during Prabowo's earlier visit to India — highlighting the deep cultural and civilizational ties between the two nations alongside their strategic and economic cooperation.

The visit marks Modi's fourth trip to Indonesia and his first bilateral visit since the two countries elevated relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2018. It also serves as the opening leg of a broader Indo-Pacific tour, with Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty noting that closer ties between two of the Global South's leading democracies send an important signal of solidarity amid the current geopolitical climate.